Posts Tagged ‘games’

Counting Cards: How to Escape Detection

วันจันทร์, กุมภาพันธ์ 1st, 2010

It is not a secret for anyone that casinos do not like blackjack counters and frequently ask them to leave or to play another game. Here, we will describe how casino management detects counters and how to act when caught. We also describe the countermeasures that casinos use against skilled players but most of all we show you how to count cards while not getting caught.

Do Casinos Object?
Most casinos have strict policies that ban any player from counting cards when playing blackjack, but some like those in New Jersey do not pay any attention to such players.

How Do You Know Whether A Casino Minds?
You do not. But you had better act as if they all do and thus save yourself the embarressment of being shoved out if they do mind and if they catch you red-handed.

How to Count Without Getting Detected?
Always keep in mind that since card counting is something that one does silently, the only method to detect it is through observing you and the manner you play. Thus, look out for the following:
1) Do not stare at the cards of other players. Glance once, count, and then move on.
2) Do not stare at the cards that have been discarded. Look quickly and then slowly move away by shifting your gaze nonchalantly from player to player.
3) Change your pattern of betting occassionaly.
4) Change the amount of betting money each round.
5) Even though you know it, loose a round or two. Do not bet big on those rounds. But likewise do not bet too small too. If the casino notices that you are always winning big and losing small, they might get suspicious.
6) Buy chips of different colours and then mix them around while playing to confuse the dealer.
7) Talk to the other players while playing, but this is especially difficult so practice this at home before trying it at a casino. 8) Pick your seat carefully: either the first chair or the third one so that you won’t have to twist your head around as the cards are dealt.
9) Dress casually because smart and elegant clothes cause the dealers to think you are intelligent and they might watch you more closely.
10) Order an alcoholic drink and pretend to sip it because they are looking for those non-drinkers who are staying sober to count the cards.

The common denominator of all these is that you must never forget that the casino si watching you and how you play. Act accordingly!

Supposing that the Casino Catches On, What Should you Do?
Stay calm if the casino catches you counting cards and abide by their wishes quietely. Do not make a fuss. If they ask you to leave, do so. The faster you leave, the easier it will be for you to return later. Remember that if you make a fuss, they will all remember you, so desist from any unfriendly behaviour. Note that after shifts change, the new personnel won’t know you so all you have to do is wait for that and then you can start playing again. You could also just enter the next casino and start earning money there instead of risking casino personnel from recognizing you.

Choosing A Funfair Supplier

วันจันทร์, กุมภาพันธ์ 1st, 2010

Like any other industry, the quality of suppliers varies from the good through the bad to the plain ugly. The cream of the professional operators will supply high quality,

attractive items that are well maintained, have been cleaned prior to your event and are staffed by uniformed attendants. This last point by the way is actually a health and

safety requirement, if the staff from your supplier are not in uniform they are ignoring health and safety regulations, which ponders the question what else are they

ignoring?

As a minimum any competent funfair operator will supply the following items as part of his safety documentation;

Event risk assessment
Event Fire Assessment
Individual attraction risk assessment
Individual attraction fire assessment
Event method statement
Individual attraction method statement
Individual attraction safety and testing certificates
Public liability insurance documents
Written health and safety policy

Most of these items are actually legal requirements for service providers, so if any of them are missing, ask for them, if they are still not supplied then find another

operator, in todays culture of ‘No win, no fee’ legal action it just isn’t worth taking the risk of using the cowboys out there. Especially when quite often they are not much

cheaper than the professional fairground companies. Also examine the insurance documents carefully, the amount insured varies from ฃ1 million upto ฃ10 million,

many local authorities require a minimum of ฃ5 million so ensure your chosen supplier meets this.

If you choose a member of the main funfair trade union, the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain, you will automatically be dealing with an operator that has a minimum ฃ10

million insurance and also has to have all of their attractions meet minimum testing and safety standards. There are many excellent operators who are not members of

this organisation, who are still excellent at what they do, but they only have to meet lower standards so it depends on how much peace of mind you require.

The really top notch operators will add to this list of documentation with a written environmental policy and quite possibly an ethical purchasing policy. Sustainability in

events, and things such as Fairtrade are rapidly gaining acceptance in the business world as a whole, so it would be worth asking any company you were thinking of

using if they supported either initiative.

You should ask for supplier or testimonials from previous clients, and also for images of the attractions they intend to supply to your event. If either are not forthcoming

then again treat it with suspicion, competent suppliers are not afraid to supply details of previous jobs they have undertaken. A typical example would be a ride such as the

dodgems, in the U.K. most dodgem rides average around 16 cars. Some suppliers quote a much lower price than everyone else, and then supply a ride with perhaps 8 cars

on, you pays your money you takes your choice.

Just like in every other business the price is not the only criteria you should use, some companies will supply waste bins and a clean up service as part of their package,

others will leave a litter strewn site behind them meaning you will have to spend extra having it cleaned up. Saving a couple of hundred pounds on your event is not much

use, if one of your guests ends up in hospital having tripped over an unsecured cable some sloppy operator has installed without using cable management techniques

because he wanted to save a couple of quid.

All in all if you use a bit of common sense, and take your time selecting your supplier just like you would with any other company you were thinking of using you should

end up with a memorable, fun and above all safe event.

Chinese Gambling Games: Casino Games with Chinese Origins

วันจันทร์, กุมภาพันธ์ 1st, 2010

The Chinese culture has a significant influence on the American gambling industry. Many of todays popular casino games were introduced to American casinos by Chinese immigrants. In this review, you can read about some of the most popular Chinese gambling games that had a successful immigration to the West.

Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is a hybrid of American poker and traditional Chinese tiles game called Pai Gow. The original tile game Pai Gow, which means Make 9, is one of the most ancient gambling games that are still available in cotemporary casinos. Pai Gow Poker is played with playing cards instead of tiles and it uses the traditional poker hand ranking. It is one of the most popular casino games worldwide and it can be found in almost every major casino in the US. Its online version can be played at most casinos on the internet.

The object of the Pai Gow Poker is to form the highest possible two poker hands, one five card hand and a two card hand, out of the seven cards dealt to each player. Each player competes against the banker that can be either the casino dealer or one of the players who can afford paying the players winnings.

Sic Bo

Sic Bo is yet another popular casino game with roots that go back to ancient China. The chance game came to the States around the beginning of the 20th century by Chinese immigrants. It can be played in most land based casinos in Macau, the US and the UK. Sic Bo has an online version as well.

The meaning of Sic Bo is Dice Pair. It is played with three standard dice on a special table. Each player places any number of bets on the table and then tosses the dice. The outcome is determined by the combinations of the three dice. Each combination has a different payoff according to a payoff schedule, which vary from one casino to the other.

Fan Tan

Fan Tan used to be the most popular gambling game among Chinese gamblers but the glory days of Fan Tan have already passed. During the 1890s, Chinese immigrants brought the game to the United States. At that time, every Chinatown in American City had several Fan Tan houses that were always full of enthusiastic gamblers. Nowadays, you can find Fan Tan in some casinos in Macau as well as in some online gaming sites.

Traditional Fan Tan, not to be confused with the card game of the same name, used to be played with any objects such as coins, dried beans or small buttons on a table with a square marked on it. Fan Tan. The object of the game is pretty simple and odds are 1: 4.

The play begins with the banker puts on the table a pile of objects then covers them with a bowl. Each player has to bet on one of the numbers that mark the four sides of the square, or on one of the corners of the square. After the bowl is removed, the croupier removes four of the objects each time until the last group remains. If 1 object is left, then the player who placed a bet on 1 wins the pot, and so on.

Mahjong

Mahjong is probably the biggest inherit of Chinese culture to the gaming world. The ancient Chinese tile game has many variants worldwide including variety of online games. According to the myth, Mahjong was developed by Confucius around the 500 BC. The game was brought to the United States during the 1920s and soon was very popular especially among women. The game was played in Chinese style decorated rooms with waiters wearing traditional customs.

The American version of Mahjong was developed during the 1930s and it is played in America until today. At the same time, the National Mahjong league was founded. In addition to American Mahjong, there are Japanese, Vietnamese, Cantonese and other variations of the game, which vary from one to the other by their scoring structure, number of tiles and rules variants. In 1998, the China State Sports Commission had set a standard set of rules that will differentiate the illegal gambling game from the skill game.

Mahjong Solitaire, the online version of Mahjong, gains wide popularity recently. The online version of the classic Chinese game is a matching game that uses the Mahjong tiles. Online Mahjong games can be found in many online gaming sites in variety of layouts and versions.